The Tale of Nix

Re: The Tale of Nix

Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 9:15 pm

by waterlily

Waterlily lets out a sympathetic whine when Songhue aches about her leg. He will fiercely protect his new friend, but begins to calm down as she calls out to a familiar soul to reveal themselves. From behind a thick tree a little pixie flutters. As the pixie approaches and greets them both, waterlily calms his posture and relaxes his heightened nerves. *One apologizes for his immediate distrust. One could not sense what you are and whether you meant us any harm.*

Waterlily is worried for Songhue. With all the strength and power he has sensed from her, to now sense this pain; this evil pain that haunts her. Waterlily is saddened. He lets out a great big howl for her. She would never cry out like that. *How is it you came to bear this curse upon thee? Is there no cure?* He rubs his nose against her leg in sympathy.

Waterlily looks up at Vineda and says, *One is pleased to meet a friend of Songhue. One hopes his form does not frighten you. One is usually quite relaxed and playful, especially as a wolf. One can now sense your good nature and the bond you share with Songhue. You are most welcome here.*

Re: The Tale of Nix

Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 9:51 pm

by Songhue

Songhue smiled as her leg wobbled slightly, sitting carefully in order to help hide her discomfort from the old wound.

"How good it is to see thee, old friend," she smiled, automatically lifting a pawed hand in greeting. "And how warm a heart thou hath, Waterlily. Aye, 'tis dusk, the story hour. And 'tis time to stop hiding and truly trust in these lands, as through them my new home was found."

With that, and a small nod, she moved closer to the water, easing herself in to let the lake bear some of her weight. She lay on her stomach so she could still see the others, resting her muzzle on the ground as her fur swirled in the gentle currents.

"This is an old tale, older than a star does live. Vineda, it's already known that thou hath seen the symptoms of this injury before and taken note - now 'tis time to trust thee with my weakness.

To understand this wound one must understand that which created it. To understand them, one must understand the one who speaks now. So it is that the story begins with my kind; the race of Strangelings."

She paused here, watching the others, and when she spoke again her voice was slightly different; it held an echoing quality, reverberating as if heard through time itself.

"The frist Strangeling came from any other typical animal as could be found in the magic woods they resided in. Now these animals, while typical for their area, would not be called so here, no in any other place to have been seen by myself. They had creatures similar to foxes that, though the magics in the forest, took on strange markings, gained abilities such as bending light around their bodies to disappear, or moving instantly from the ground to the safety of a tree. This is but one example. One of such creatures in this area gave birth to the first of my race, the first Strangeling, though none are certain as to what creature it was exactly. Whichever it was, it was old and powerful and all the magics in all the lands came together in that birth to create my kind.

We lived well enough after this; Strangelings were a species apart from any other and so lived together, as other creatures would be known to stay with their families. We spoke a different tongue than this and had no names. We came in all forms, with those of greater power being called Strangelings and those of lesser abilities or claiming only two forms, one of what you would call a humanoid and another, were the Shifters.

As with all things, this did not last. Others came, strange creatures, and following them was the great war. During this war they applied their own magics to those found within a Strangeling; a terrible, unforgivable act as true Strangelings were rarest of all. By their magics and through the twisting of our own in their spells, our enemies were born. To speak the name aloud is a great ill omen, for it's as summoning them, yet as we are safe here, it shall be uttered. They were the Eckthrois, called Shadow Shifters and Shadow Demons so as not to say their true name. Or such as it would be translated into this tongue.

It was of these that this wound came. The poisonous energies that lay within this wound that, when inflicted, nearly severed my leg have made it so that it may never fully heal. Should the poisons be extracted they will cause great damage, ripping apart the circulation of magic and cosmic energy within my body and rendering the entire limb useless as there would be no way to reconnect or repair this damage; not in the way the damage would be inflicted."

Songhue couldn't quite look them in the eye after this admission. She had spoken not in their tongue exactly, but in the tongue of time, one that let her speak without translating and yet allowed them to understand.

"Much time hath passed," she whispered, once again speaking in the native tongue, "Since yon great war brought an end to mine homelands... And almost all of my kind. Many realms and worlds hath been visited since, each of them being shown the one form that seemed the safest for the area or that was most comfortable for me to obtain at the time. Each realm hath given a name to these faces; 'tis these names that are known to thee, Vineda, and the others of this realm that know me as Songhue. Yet 'tis na the nature of my kind to hold a name. My title, should my people have lived, would have been Strangeling Healer and Great Mother, perhaps even Weaver. The 'name' given to my essence, my true name, would even be nay, not a name, yet words that would describe it, used and known only by they that were closest to me, that they speak to my very core."

Songhue smiled as a butterfly fluttered nearby here, sneezing as it landed on her nose and took off again. Her eyes showed every year, her true age, as the memories all gathered.

"Each world was as a separate life. Only here, with thy company, hath a new home been found; a new realm to replace what was so long ago lost. And to repay the damage done to mine limb by the Shadow Walkers."

Re: The Tale of Nix

Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 10:42 pm

by Vineda

Vineda bowed her head and reached out to this wolf that was Waterlily as though to ruffle his shaggy fur, but her hand, held in a gentle and tentative manner did not completely bridge thae gap between them. Palm up, her hand was offered in peace rather than palm down in domination or command. "'Tis true that my name is Vineda, but I have yet to learn yours. May I ask such a great honor? I thank you for your welcome, and for your protection of a dear friend. I apologize for my hiding; 'twas rude to do so. I was merely frightened and not thinking clearly."

As Songhue settled herself, Vineda's grin turned wry at her knowing any healing would be refused. Always the hard way. At least she had the choice, anyhow. She shifted herself to one of her favorite forms, that of a russet fox, with pelt matching the tones of her human hair.

Muzzle rested on forepaws contentedly, ears twitched as the nighttime dance began. Fireflies began to twinkle in increasing numbers and crickets began their chorus. 'Twas a good night for tales, she thought with a sigh. A shame she did not know her own history; something she was beginning to feel the thorns of more and more.

As the tale wound on, the night seemed more and more sad. A shiver ran through her body that had nothing much to do with the evening chill. Her thick coat took care of that. But there was hope hidden in the story as well, for Songhue was alive and whole, even if maimed. At a loss for words, she reached over to nuzzle Songhue's neck once, letting only a small whine escape her before raising her head. "I thank thee for sharing, my friend. I know 'tis a trial. And I am glad hope has not deserted you along the way."

Re: The Tale of Nix

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 11:10 am

by waterlily

Waterlily cannot help it to sniff her hand. Canine instincts are the toughest to break. When he is finished he proceeds to lick Vineda's hand in affection. *My name is Waterlily. My tale One will save for another time. You are now a friend of mine as well. One hopes you will never know fear in my presence; only joy and comfort.* He then proceeds to curl up on the ground to listen to Songhue's tale.

As Songhue began her story, the air filled with a sadness that seemed unnatural. It was as if the surrounding environment became sad for her. After a brief pause the story continues, but something is different. Her words now spoke to his soul. He can see her words come to life in his mind. The beginning. The Calm. The War. The Corrupters. The Wound. It was all too sad to comprehend. Empathy afforded him somewhat the same pain she was feeling, although the true pain would always be her own. As she ended her sad tale, the small glimpse into her soul would bring him to tears. He quickly gets up and turns to walk away, expressing *This is not fair what has been done to you. Should one of this creatures ever cross my path, One would surely rip out their heart and eat it while they watched and died.*

The night grew colder. Waterlily transformed into his human form and began to gather firewood. After starting the fire, he sat down to warm his now cold human hands. He was silent. He looks over at Songhue and Vineda as if to utter something of support, but no words come from his mouth. Again he is silent. The waters weep with him.

Re: The Tale of Nix

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 4:41 pm

by Songhue

Songhue absently reached for Vineda after her little tale, unthinkingly trying to hug the woman. Hope was not lost, this was true; there was still some way to salvage things, to continue her life in this new home. Her heart was heavy, however, and it was an effort not to depress her friends with her troubles.

At least they hadn't any questions. There was more the the story; there always was. How she escaped, what happened after she left, the ways her kind lived and how the war started. The exact moment that the wound would begin to plague her, as well as who healed her. What had been shared now was more than she would normally utter, yet it was but a small piece of her history. Thankfully, they hadn't called her out on that.

The waters grew chill as th sun set lower, making her climb out of the lake and shake off. She still moved carefully, but she hoped that she hiding this better. Shifting down to her fae form she gathered around the flames and watched them dance for a long moment as they painted various scenes from her life within the sparks; at least to her mind they did.

"Hope hath been a fickle companion, yet never hath it left me utterly alone. But soft, 'tis not a night for such hesitancy! The stars doth dance with magic and demand our tales; what of thee, that may be shared, my friends? We are all far from our birthlands; would that yon tales be shared and honored in the flickerng light."

With a flick of her wings she tossed another stick into the flames, turning her mind to more pleasant matters. Mainly, to how things had been before the great war and the loss of her kind. How life was at home, with her bonded.

"As far as defeating they that hunt me and mine, 'tis a noble sentiment. Perhaps, if naught else, we may weave tales of our own, possibilities that may come to pass."

She rested a hand on her stomach with that statement, a small smile curving her lips. Her kind never showed very much, yet there could be seen the smallest of curves; slightly bigger than when first noticed by Vineda when her bonded mares had been carrying.

It would be a while, as of yet, but when the lifespan of her kind was compared to that of a human's it would be as a short time for her; perhaps comparable to six months. If her lifespan were as short as the average human's, in any case. As it was, it would take long and long, by their reckoning, before anything changed for her.

"Come," she murmured, reaching out to adjust a log and watching the flames curve around her fingers, as if avoiding her touch, "The night is young as of yet and there art so many ways to spend thine time under the lady moon."

Re: The Tale of Nix

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 11:58 pm

by Vineda

Vineda leaned closer to Songhue in turn, comforting and being comforted as Waterlily gathered wood and built a nice fire. It wasn't until she felt the heat of the fire calling to her that she realized she was actually a bit chilled. She let her body flow back into it's human shape, and drifted closer, sliding into the circle of warmth most appreciatively.

Long legs were drawn up close to her body and arms were wrapped around them. Chin rested on top of her knees as she was mesmerized by the flames. She'd joined the group and heard a tale only to be drawn farther into herself at the sorrow.

Bright eyes blinked and broke the spell, she hoped before too much time had passed and too many words had been missed. The very tips of her mouth curved ever so slightly upward as she got an idea and quickly put it to action.

She reached out to the flames with none other than her mind, lending them the images of different creatures and beings, dancing around and through the fire with a zest. The flames very nearly laughed at the game, flickering through the images and lending their own movement. It seemed a festival before their very eyes, with one and all drinking in the joy and revelry of the moment. Pan leapt and jigged; horselike creatures galloped at the edge of the circle, weaving through the dancers. Gryphons reared, baring their claws, flaring their wings and joining in the song. Elves made music even as they danced, the essence of grace itself. 'Twas another sort of gift, this flame working. A distraction to lighten the mood and give the moment a chance to pass, even despite her inability to break the silence or cure the haunt.